The Rainbow Connection
by redyarns
Summary: Viktor's hands were shaped to play the piano. He didn't know if they were made to hold another person's own, but he was willing to try.


"Don't do it."

Yuri's tinny voice crackling through the speakers of his phone still had an angry tone to it - even thousands of miles away back in Russia, he managed to sound mad and make Viktor feel the tiniest bit guilty.

"Yakov said I should have at least one math credit," Viktor pouted, and not just because he and Yurio had been arguing about this for a good solid hour now, but because damn this rhythm it was _killing_ him -

"Yakov's brain is from the fucking stone age," Yurio barked, and Viktor furiously erased the last two measures of notes because they didn't go well with the flow at all. "And you're _horrible_ at math, Vitya."

"Dear brother of mine," Viktor sighed, annoyingly tapping his pencil against the wood of his desk in an attempt to find a different tempo than the one he had been attempting before. "Must ye have so little faith?"

"You failed Algebra I. _One,_ Vitya!" Yuri's voice was borderline impressed along with a good mix of disgust.

"I was going through a phase!" Viktor cried out in indignation.

"You mean your nightcore addiction - "

" _Point being_ ," Viktor barked, because that time of his life during high school was never ever going to be made public, "I need to take this class. And it doesn't look too hard, it's algebra. And geometry."

There was only a scoff and a, "good luck, asshole," from the phone before the dial tone rang. Viktor sighed, setting his phone down. Yurio always did have a temper on him - Viktor's bruised knees from numerous kicks could attest to that.

He tossed his phone away from him - the looming thought of algebra going along with it - and he fixed his attention back to the computer screen and numerous blank sheet music sheets that littered his small desk. Viktor groaned lightly, tossing his long, silver hair over his shoulder in an attempt to concentrate better.

It didn't work.

He let out a pitiful whine and slumped down, lightly pressing his forehead against the wood and feeling the cool surface upon his hot skin. He _needed_ to finish this song tonight - he hadn't updated his channel in two weeks and his Twitter was a constant stream of, _"Where'd you go? Are you okay? Are you going to release a new song soon?"_

" _Salut, mon cher,_ " was purred as bright green eyes winked mischievously from the open door of their dorm room. Chris sauntered in, somehow making the closing of his door seductive. The sex appeal of that man was enough to make the very air around him appear damp. "How are you, darling?"

"Hello to you, too, Chris," Viktor smiled his heart shaped grin, the blond swooping down to press two air kisses on both of Viktor's cheeks in greeting. "And I'm dying, thanks."

"Oh, my love, we're _all_ dying," Chris snorted, collapsing on his bed and laying on his side to resemble as a person posing for a painting. "How far have you gotten?"

Viktor glanced down at the pencil held loosely in his hand and the half-filled sheet of notes. He crumbled up the paper and binned it. "None."

Chris arched an eyebrow but didn't question it. "You've spent too much time in here, Viktor. The last time I saw you go outside was three days ago, and that was only because you ran out of ramen and had to go buy some more."

Viktor stared forlornly at the trash can overflowing with cup ramen.

"Go outside," Chris urged, already somehow coaxing Viktor out of his chair and to the door. His jacket was slipped on to his shoulders. A phone and a set of keys were shoved into his hands, and suddenly a brush was attacking his hair.

Viktor stood there, silent, as Chris hurriedly but still carefully brushed down the long silver locks, taking time to untangle the odd knot or two before moving on. (Viktor prided himself on his hair maintenance, so the fact that there were any knots at all spoke how well he's been taking care of himself the past few days. He really did need to go outside.)

"Don't be back before five," Chris warned, opening the door and urging Viktor outside. Viktor glanced at his phone screen - _1:24 PM_ blared back at him.

"Chris!" Viktor whined. "That's in almost four hours!"

"Exactly," Chris winked. "Have fun, darling!"

The conversation - if you could even call it that - ended with a door slammed in Viktor's face.

Oh well, Viktor thought wearily. As long as he was outside, then this would be the best time to actually get some fresh air and be the fun, lively college student that he should be.

 _As if I have the time to do that_ , a depressed voice in the back of his head murmured.

Viktor's shoulders slumped as he left the dorm hall and out into the frigid air of snowy Detroit, his boots scuffing along the icy pavement and his breath puffing warm clouds into the air.

He was so _lonely_ , he thought, that it physically ached him to his bones. When was the last time he had been laid, again? Too long.

Chris was a wonderful friend - his best friend. But he was extremely popular on campus and was constantly going out with friends, not to mention how much time he spent with his current boyfriend. Viktor couldn't remember the last time _he_ had a boyfriend.

And it wasn't fair, because Viktor was a famous musician with over fifteen million subscribers on YouTube and counting, he had numerous record deals eagerly waiting in his inbox, and his family and friends supported him. But Yuri and Yakov were back in Russia along with Mila and Georgi, and sometimes all he wanted to do was curl up in someone's arms and just stay there for a while to forget that he was _Viktor Nikiforov, Living Legend in the music world for his phenomenal pianist skills_.

When was the last time he had created music for the sake of creating music? Too long, his brain answers.

He was nearing the park now, the one with the lake that always froze and the one he constantly brought Makkachin to whenever Yakov decided to visit and bring the poodle. He could maybe just stay there for a while until five, and -

The long, sweet sounds of a string were winding through the air.

Oh.

It was faint, but it was there, and suddenly Viktor was changing directions, his feet turning away from the lake and instead towards the melody of a lonely violin.

 _Oh._

The person - angel, more like - was standing under a bare tree. His gloved hands were fiddling with the violin on his shoulder with practiced ease, and his round face was calm with a slight flush and ginger eyes were half-lidded -

Viktor pressed a hand to his chest, where he could feel his heart beat erratically.

The melody was something Viktor had never heard before. It was dreamy, almost hazy-like. It reminded him of birds singing slowly, of a lonely figure sitting on a log beside a lake as they sang about - about - Viktor's eyes blinked as he saw the sunlight hit the angel's glasses just right, the glass suddenly giving the smallest of colors before disappearing.

Rainbows.

The song reminded him about rainbows.

And suddenly, Viktor wished _desperately_ that he had a keyboard with him, anything, even one of those toy pianos, because he wanted to create a piece matching this one so badly that it made his heart beat quicker and his cheeks flush.

Viktor had never really been one to add lyrics to his music, but words were spilling out of his mouth more quickly than he could hold them in.

" _Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?_ " Viktor started humming, and the words were good, they felt right, they matched the melody and the dreaminess of the violin.

The angel (Viktor had never really been one to look twice at someone he didn't know but this stranger was so _captivating_ ) hadn't even noticed him yet. He was still playing his song, enchanted by the notes just like how Viktor was enchanted by both him and the music.

" _Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide_ ," and Viktor was fumbling for his phone, his fingers almost slipping as he finally pressed record and lifted the camera to catch the angel's face and his beautiful playing.

" _So we've been told and some choose to believe it, I know they're wrong just wait and see,_ " Viktor was inching closer, his singing growing a little louder to correctly match the volume of the violin.

Eyes of amber jerked to shyly meet his gaze - they widened in surprise, and the notes fumbled a little before they corrected themselves. Viktor smiled, utterly charmed.

" _Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,_ " Viktor hummed, lifting his phone up higher to record the stranger's face. He shuffled even closer, and eventually, they were mere feet away from each other.

" _The lovers, the dreamers, and me._ "

The playing stopped, the bow stilling in the air as wide, amber eyes blinked rapidly in his direction. A flush erupted on round cheeks, and Viktor resisted the urge to coo.

"Wow! That was wonderful!" Viktor smiled widely, putting his phone away and reminding himself to watch it later to try and recreate the pretty melody (and maybe stare at the even prettier boy). "I've never heard a song like that, is it your own?"

"V-Viktor!" The boy brightened, and he swung unsteadily on his feet. Surprised, Viktor hurriedly caught the swaying body, a small "oof" escaping the stranger's lips as he collapsed into Viktor's arms.

Viktor blinked rapidly as he caught scent of the strong alcohol emitting from the boy in his hands. He's drunk, he realized… He's drunk but he played better than everyone else he knew that could fiddle with a violin. His heart stuttered lightly.

"Let's set that down," Viktor said, a heart-shaped smile on his face as he gently took the violin and bow from the boy's hands to place them on the ground. And all of a sudden, he had a cuddling, drunk violinist purring in contentment while he dug his nose under Viktor's jaw into his neck.

"Viktoooor," the boy muttered again, drawing out Viktor's name and wrapping his arms tightly around Viktor's middle. "Y-You're my idol, Viktor!"

Viktor stared at the boy in surprise, because wow, normally it didn't take someone being piss ass drunk to get his attention - but he wasn't complaining, because his chest felt lighter than it had in months, and a gorgeous boy had willingly fallen into his arms.

"Who are you?" Viktor muttered in awe.

"I live in H-Hasetsu!" The boy continued to slur, ignoring Viktor's question and instead staring up at him with starstruck eyes. ( _Heart racing, shortness of breath, and he had never felt like this before -_ ) "I-I worked _really_ hard to… to meet you, Viktor! But I'm drunk and - and did you like my playing, Viktor? Ish… It's… a song I made for you!"

Viktor's heart leapt to his throat.

"Is that so?" Viktor's laugh was breathless.

"Mhm!" The boy nodded furiously. "You'll… You'll come with me to Hasetsu, right? We have a beach! So, s-so if I play really hard and… and get your attention, you'll come teach me, right?"

(What? Teach? He wasn't a teacher - and he had already caught more than his attention - )

"Be my teacher, Viktooor!" The stranger - angel - cheered, his gorgeous face flushed from the alcohol and his eyes so bright that Viktor felt he was beside a star.

He stared.

Then he gasped.

(Falling in love, was it always like this? He had never fallen in love before but -)

And suddenly the boy was fumbling for his violin, bow and instrument placed into case and closed with a snap - "Oops! I-I remembered, have… clash… class today! Bye, Viktor!"

There was a blur as he disappeared, taking Viktor's heart along with him.

He hadn't even gotten his number - hell, not even his name! He was probably never going to see him again.

(Oh, god, he was probably never going to see him again.)

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

Viktor's hands flew across the paper, his pencil scribbling down notes and little annotations on the sides as he furiously composed an accompaniment part to the beautiful Violin Boy's song. It was so _easy_ , like breathing - his previous hesitance and struggling was chucked right out the window as he hummed the tune under his breath and tapped his foot to the rhythm.

Within only two hours after he had gotten back home (raced back home with his heart pounding and hair flying because that boy wasn't leaving his mind), a fully composed piece was being officially printed out from the program Viktor had used to pull everything together.

His hands grasped the papers - there were three in total, and on the first page, it read, _The Rainbow Connection_ at the top. His eyes flicked down to the right of it, just underneath the title, and it said, _by Violin Angel and Viktor Nikiforov_. He felt a little hysterical looking at it, his hands clenching the paper tightly and causing more than a few wrinkles throughout them. ( _I should have asked for his name again, it doesn't look right, he deserves his name there with mine -_ )

Blinking, he hurriedly smoothed out the wrinkles and sat at the seat of his keyboard. Smoothing his hands over the black and white keys, he distantly felt a strike of longing. His grand piano, the one that Yakov had gifted him with at age ten when he first won a national competition, was still at home in Russia. The synthetic keyboard felt nothing like the grace and beauty his grand piano provided, but for now, it'd have to do.

He haphazardly set up the sheet music, not needing to look at it too much due to having memorized most of it in his time of composing.

Viktor unlocked his phone, and pressed play, the tinny sound of a violin and his own singing blaring back at him. The speakers of his phone did the beautiful violin no justice, and it wasn't even the whole song - just a part of it. But it was a part he loved, nonetheless.

" _Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?_ " Viktor cooed, his hands gentle and floating around the keys, the dreaminess of the notes matching the violin perfectly.

" _Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide._ "

His heart ached.

" _So we've been told and some choose to believe it. I know they're wrong, wait and see._ "

Viktor can't remember the last time he felt so alive - so inspired. It was like all those months of doubt and loneliness were swept away just like he was on his feet.

" _Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection._ "

This song wasn't dedicated to his fans - it was for Violin Boy, for his beauty and his ability to render Viktor from a legendary musician to a lovesick fool.

" _The lovers, the dreamers, and me._ "

But - most importantly - this song was for Viktor.

How _breathtaking_.

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

He didn't stop there.

Mere three days later, he had a whole new album for his beloved fans - titled _Stay Close to Me_ , it was all those songs he had composed while keeping Violin Boy in mind.

When he uploaded them onto his channel, all he wrote was, _to my heart and the man it belongs to_.

He turned off his notifications before the spam came in.

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

Viktor absentmindedly tossed a few silver strands over his shoulder, them being the only few that managed to escape the braid he had weaved the rest into. A pout rested on his face - he had never received a grade this bad, he thought, staring at the slightly crumpled algebra quiz in his hand that had a big, fat thirty-seven on top over his name in bold, red ink.

"Ooh," a person hissed beside his ear, and Viktor didn't have to turn his head to know that it was Chris currently hovering beside him, looking at the grade over his shoulder. "I didn't know you were this bad in simple algebra, Viktor."

Viktor once again tossed a few strands from his bangs away from his face, and huffed an irritated breath. "It's a work in progress." The paper was crumpled up and tossed into the bin they passed.

"You know," Chris purred, sliding an arm around Viktor's shoulders and pressing close. Viktor didn't bother pushing him away. "My friend Yuuri is pretty good at math."

Viktor's interest peaked. "Yuri?" His mind flashed back to his little brother, who resembled more of a kitten than a tiger.

" _Yuu_ ri, dear," Chris corrected. "Katsuki Yuuri, a man with the most wonderful thighs I've ever seen. Interested?"

Viktor laughed, even though his heart ached slightly. "I don't have time for a boyfriend, Chris." ( _Unless that boyfriend happens to be nimble fingers and raven locks and "be my teacher, Viktor!" -_ )

"Even so," Chris winked. "An excellent tutor, he is. Passed my physics class with flying colors because of him - the boy is a prodigy in almost everything. I'll introduce you, _oui_?"

Viktor huffed in amusement. " _Da._ But just for tutoring."

"It _is_ a shame, though," Chris hummed. "I know you're still hung up on Violin Boy - " everyone knew about Viktor's 'the one who got away' by this point, " - but Yuuri's such a big fan of you. And he has a perfect ass."

Viktor hummed.

As much as Chris' friend sounded nice, and it was sweet that he was even a fan of Viktor, but he was still set on Violin Boy.

"Here's his phone number," Chris said, already unlocking Viktor's phone - he really needed a new lock on that, Chris was too nosy - and typing in some numbers into his contacts.

 _Yuuri Katsuki_ stared back at him as Viktor took his phone back.

He sighed. Then he smiled in gratitude.

Well. At least he had a math tutor now.

That evening, when Viktor was in bed and Chris off doing who-knows-what, he opened up his messenger app and stared.

He typed out a message, and although he was still a little skeptical about this "amazing-thigh-and-ass-man" who Chris also claimed was a fan of his, this was his best shot to pass that blasted class.

 _hi! i'm viktor nikiforov chris' friend. he said you're good at math so maybe you can help me with classes?_

Satisfied, Viktor set down his phone and stared up at the ceiling.

A feeling crept into his heart, and he whined lowly, turning to bury his face in the silky tendrils of his hair and his pillow. Loneliness, he thought, was a rather irritating thing. (Except maybe loneliness wouldn't bother him if he just found those amber eyes again and his sweet music - but where? He didn't know.)

And, to Viktor's slight horror, he felt small crystals of tears start rolling down his face and drop one by one into the silver strands of his hair. He didn't bother quieting his sniffles or try to wipe away the wetness from his skin.

It's strange, he decides. He had only met Violin Boy once, but somehow, he still missed him. Missed him to the point of his heart breaking because how had he never _noticed_ someone like that? And when he thought about it even more, of nimble fingers and the fluid motions of a bow on strings, he couldn't help but fall in love all over again.

(Nobody told him falling in love hurt so much.)

He rolled over and closed his eyes, falling asleep to the thoughts of drunk blushes, fumbling hands, and _"be my teacher, Viktor!"_

 **XxXxXxXxXxX**

 **Think of it as an apology for the disaster of** _ **Sing For Me, Nightingale**_ **. Yeah. Oof.**

 **Come find me on Tumblr where my handle is redyarns!**

 **Fic inspired by The Rainbow Connection from the Muppets movie. Beautiful song. I recommend the cover by Lizz Robinett.**


End file.
